Jeremy awoke in the field of flowers once again, where he noticed a few clouds in the normally clear sky. These concerned him for some reason, but he elected to ignore them for now. They weren’t enough of a problem for him yet.
The large green flower was next to him, as always, and he reached out to pet it, as always. The smaller, red flower was beside it as well, though its petals looked slightly wrinkled for some reason. He rubbed the larger, green flower, feeling anxious about something his dreaming mind could not explain or even vocalize. The flower seemed to react to this, wrapping petals around his hand and rubbing them in a vaguely comforting manner. Slowly, Jeremy relaxed, slipping back into the familiar trance of petting the flower.
He awoke to find Nightmare Moon watching him, a tired expression on her face. “Tis’ eight in the morn… Time for thee to arise,” she greeted, yawning.
“And time for you to go to bed,” Jeremy immediately chastised.
“We art a magical dream demon, we hath no need of… oh, a nap doth sound nice,” Nightmare Moon grumbled.
Jeremy chuckled. “Go on, take a break, you earned it. Did you see her at any point?”
Nightmare Moon shook her head, but looked at him a moment later. “…How dost thou know her gender?” she questioned.
Jeremy pondered a moment. “…I don’t… know…” he answered, disturbed by this implication.
Nightmare Moon gazed at him a moment more, and sighed, crossing to the bed where Chrysalis and Sombra still lay, fast asleep. Without further ado, she abruptly flung herself down onto the mattress, jostling Chrysalis and Sombra awake as she promptly (and humorously) began snoring loudly.
Chrysalis looked at her, annoyed. “How dare you wake me…” she hissed angrily, glaring at Nightmare Moon’s sleeping form.
“Hey, hey. She’s been guarding us all night from a terrifying spirit, she deserves a break,” Jeremy placated. Chrysalis grumbled, but reluctantly accepted this.
Sombra, meanwhile, was less consoled. “Doesn’t she have her own bed to sleep on?” he furiously questioned, adjusting his rumpled cape.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you?” he pointed out.
Sombra narrowed his eyes at him. “…Fine,” he grumbled.
“Besides, you’ve been sleeping for a while now. You passed out on the train last night,” Jeremy informed him. At this, Sombra looked strangely guilty.
“Right, I… right. I’ll go find my own bed, then. Sorry for being rude,” he muttered, departing.
Jeremy exchanged a worried look with Chrysalis.
“Is he okay?” she whispered in concern.
“I dunno,” Jeremy whispered back. “He’s been acting weird for a while, now that I think about it…” Jeremy hesitantly opened the door, catching the flick of Sombra’s tail as he practically leapt into his own, slamming his door behind him.
Something’s wrong with Sombra, he mused. But what?
Not one to leave fate waiting, Jeremy knocked on Sombra’s door. “Sombra? You in there?” he asked.
No answer returned, not even a snarky insult or vicious growl.
“…Sombra?” Jeremy tried again, Chrysalis joining him.
“Fine! Doing just fine, just –“ Sombra answered, to their surprise. He was interrupted by some kind of strange growl, sounding distinctly… inhuman.
“Sombra, I’m worried and I’m coming in there,” Jeremy declared. He opened the door, half expecting to see Sombra in his larger, smoky form. To his odd twinge of disappointment, Sombra was entirely normal, though he looked distinctly nervous.
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m just… just… hungry,” Sombra explained, his stomach making that same growl from before for emphasis.
Relief flickered across Jeremy’s face. “Is that all? I bet the dining hall’s open now,” he noted.
“Yeah. I’ll… get some food there,” Sombra muttered, pushing past him.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow, his fears only partially assuaged by Sombra’s return to his former rudeness.
This is going to be an episode, isn’t it, Chrysalis noted.
Oh, definitely, Jeremy agreed.
He popped into Sam’s room, the latter looking at him blearily from his sprawled position across his bed. “Get ready to run around and stuff later, I feel like things are about to happen,” Jeremy announced, and promptly closed the door.
“Wait… what?” he heard Sam dazedly mutter from behind the door, but Jeremy and Chrysalis were already heading for the hallway’s exit.
It didn’t take them very long to find the royal dining hall, but to their confusion Sombra had already been and gone.
“He came in here, bumped into a noble, and they shouted at each other for a moment before he just… ran off,” Celestia recounted, Luna nodding in affirmation as she swallowed her hash browns.
“Right… I think something’s up with him. Just in case things go south… can you get the others ready?” he asked. Celestia nodded, and Jeremy and Chrysalis dashed off to find Sombra once more.
They asked a few passersby in the street, all of whom told them tales of an incredibly rude and loud stallion who had ran past them while alternating between muttering and shouting ‘truly dreadful obscenities’.
“So, not much of a departure from the norm, hm?” Chrysalis remarked as they continued down a heavily crowded street.
Jeremy laughed, and stopped guiltily. “What do you think is happening?” he asked her, distinctly remembering his promise to involve her more in his endeavors and already regretting it.
“Well… he told us he was hungry, but he didn’t eat anything… maybe he’s gone insane? Hearing voices, something like that?” Chrysalis guessed.
“We’re in for a lot of trouble if he is, I don’t think mercy can cure hallucinations,” Jeremy replied worriedly.
“Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out,” Chrysalis dismissed with an encouraging look. “You’ve got all the time in the world, after all!”
Finally, they stopped in front of an imposing purple and gray-blue building, twin unicorns with their horns jutting forward standing to either side of the marble steps leading up to the entrance.
“What is this place?” Jeremy asked.
“The library. I remember stopping here to try and read up on potential weaknesses during the invasion,” Chrysalis immediately replied. When Jeremy raised an eyebrow at her, she blushed and looked away. “What? That was what I was doing, at the time,” she defended.
Jeremy chuckled. “Yes, but… the library? You’re reminding me of Twilight,” he teased.
“Given Twilight was clever enough to outwit me, I’ll take that as a compliment,” Chrysalis answered regally, tossing her head. Jeremy laughed and opened the doors, hardly even remembering what they had come for.
Reality came crashing down as soon as he opened his eyes to get a look at the state of the place. Books had been strewn everywhere, some looking as though they had been tossed from the very highest bookshelves – which, given ponies’ apparent affinity for ridiculously tall bookshelves, was quite a distance to be thrown.
“What the-“ Jeremy started, stopping abruptly as he prevented himself from swearing on a kids’ show.
In the middle of the maelstrom of books was an absolutely furious pony with a pale yellow coat, red hair, and a dark blue sweater. Moondancer, Twilight’s old friend, Jeremy remembered.
“Um. I’m guessing you saw Sombra,” he greeted, walking up to her.
“Saw? Saw?!” Moondancer cried, livid. “He goes into the library, trashes half the place looking for a book about species, which I would have been happy to point him to, and storms off through the window!” she ranted, pointing at a window at the other end of the library that indeed looked as though it had been violently crashed through.
“Species?” Chrysalis muttered in consternation, and Moondancer’s ears flicked.
“Yes. Specifically, pony-like species,” she answered, in such an automatic manner that Jeremy suspected she simply could not help herself.
“Did he find a book in particular, before he crashed through the window?” Jeremy asked.
Moondancer grumbled, levitating a book over to him with her magic. “Page 47, if I recall. Hopefully you’ll make more sense of this than I am, because all I know is that I have to call the window repair shop again.” With that, she stalked off, a few books levitating in tow.
Jeremy tugged at the collar of his shirt as he watched her go. “We should probably pay for that,” he muttered to Chrysalis.
“On it,” Chrysalis whispered back, and he heard her mental voice giving instructions to a few changelings.
Satisfied, Jeremy examined the book Sombra had found. “On The Origines of Ponie-Like Species, by Star Swirl the Bearded,” he read off the cover. “Why was Sombra suddenly interested in biology?”
Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. “Not biology…” she muttered.
“Huh?” Jeremy replied, confused.
“Open the book to page 47,” Chrysalis suddenly instructed.
Jeremy obediently did so, skimming through until he found it. “Umbra,” Jeremy read. “What’s an ‘umbrum’?”
Chrysalis quickly read the text, eyes almost a blur as she processed Star Swirl’s cramped hoofwriting. “They’re a special offshoot of unicorns that specialize strictly in shadow magic. And… Jeremy, look at this,” Chrysalis breathed, pointing at the accompanying image Star Swirl had drawn. It was of a unicorn mare with gray, almost black pelt and blacker hair, shifting and swirling on the page like inky smoke.
“He wasn’t looking for general biology… he was interested in his own biology,” Jeremy realized.
Chrysalis looked up at the window Sombra had crashed through again, seemingly calculating something. She paled when she was done. “We need to get the others. Cadance and Shining Armor. Now,” she demanded, the urgency of her tone causing Jeremy to snap the book shut.
“We’ll need to fly,” Jeremy replied, and Chrysalis immediately stooped low, Jeremy hopping on her back.
Chrysalis flew as fast as she could to the castle, fairly crashing through the doors. Upon the sight of them, Celestia leapt off her throne, horn sparking yellow.
“Oh, it’s you two,” she realized, catching sight of who she was aiming her magic at.
“We need to go, no time to explain!” Jeremy replied, already heading for the Secret Hallway.
They entered the hidden door to find the twelve Elements of Harmony, Princess Cadance, Starlight Glimmer, Shining Armor, Nightmare Moon and even Flurry Heart waiting for them, expressions of trepidation on their faces.
“What’s going on?” Sam demanded. “I got everyone like you said, but nobody knows what’s happening.”
Jeremy glanced around at them, taking a deep breath. “Sombra’s acting strange. I have a theory about what’s going on, but the important thing is that he’s currently booking it in the direction of the Crystal Empire and we need to beat him there in case something bad happens,” he rattled off.
Shining Armor stomped a hoof against the stone floor in anger. “I knew it!” the Crystal Prince shouted angrily. “I knew he couldn’t be trusted!”
Jeremy glared at him. “Shining Armor, now is not the time!” he retorted. “Let’s just get going so we can catch up to him!” And as the group ran for the throne room, Jeremy was sure that one question echoed through all of their minds.
Were they rushing to help Sombra… or to stop him?
They found Celestia and Luna waiting outside the throne room, two large chariots already fitted to four Wonderbolts.
“Get in,” Celestia ordered.
Without further ado, the group hopped into the chariots, Jeremy noting with some dismay the distinctly different design of these models. They had clearly been built for speed, not luxury.
As soon as they were in the air, Celestia turned to Jeremy. “It’s an hour’s ride to the Crystal Empire if our Guards keep their pace, and Sombra can’t be going as fast as our fastest Wonderbolts. That said, I sense you have more information to share with us,” Celestia ordered.
Jeremy nodded, revealing the book he had taken from the library. “Before Sombra bolted, he was searching high and low for the information on page 47 of this book,” Jeremy began, opening it.
“Umbra?” Rainbow wondered, peering upside down at the page’s contents.
“A species of shadow pony derivative of unicorns, having split approximately fifteen hundred years ago at earliest historical record. They’re just about biologically immortal – once they mature, they can’t age,” Jeremy paraphrased. “They feed on hatred, kind of similar to a Windigo except they can’t do stuff like distrust or fear, or other negative emotions. It has to be hatred, the more vicious the better. There used to be thousands of umbra, all across the world, until… someone caged them all up somewhere.”
There was a moment of awkward silence as everyone looked at Celestia.
“I didn’t do it!” she denied. “That was before even my time.”
Jeremy was just then hit by a revelation that felt almost like a physical blow to the chest. “Sombra said he was hungry before he dashed out on us, remember?” he announced, turning to Chrysalis.
Her eyes widened. “If umbra feed on hatred, then… that fits! He’d just spent a day being nice to you and being nice around you, so he couldn’t feed!”
Jeremy nodded. “And everyone we talked to today that Sombra had bumped into – he always did something to annoy them! He was deliberately trying to make them hate him – so he could get food!” The others silently watched the discussion, eyes going back and forth as if watching a tennis rally.
“Okay, we’ve established he got hungry. Really hungry… and it’s probably my fault,” Jeremy muttered under his breath guiltily. “But why is he going for the Crystal Empire? It’s a long way to travel for a meal.”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you kidding? He’s the one thing all of them hate! He’d have free food for centuries there!” Shining Armor’s jaw dropped.
“Okay, so he’s pretty clearly heading to the Crystal Empire because he’s starving. That part makes sense. But why was he researching his own species’ history?” Jeremy wondered.
Celestia coughed lightly, and they turned to her. “Well, actually…” she hesitantly interjected. “We didn’t… know Sombra was an umbrum. We merely assumed he was a particularly corrupt unicorn. And, given that he never corrected us… I’m not sure Sombra knew, either. He might not have even known that he could feast upon hatred until he read that book.”
Jeremy considered this for a moment. “Well… I suppose that’s a valid reason… still, I feel like we’re missing something,” he muttered.
“So… um… I guess we just… find Sombra, get some food in him somehow, and… bring him back?” Sam nervously asked.
“Yeah, I guess so…” Jeremy sighed, looking out towards the rapidly passing landscape below them.
“What’s wrong?” Cadance asked.
Jeremy gazed at the floor of the chariot, a troubled expression on his face. “Well… it’s just… it turns out my being kind to Sombra was actually… harmful to him, biologically. And if I’d gotten my way, if everyone had started being kind to him… he’d have starved to death,” Jeremy hoarsely whispered.
Cadance put a sympathetic wing around him. “You couldn’t have known,” she consoled. “None of us could have. Who could guess that being kind was starving him?”
They touched down in the Crystal Empire just a short while later, Jeremy still clutching the book on species even as he hopped over the side of the chariot. The Wonderbolts who had been carrying the chariot collapsed, exhausted, and Celestia gazed sympathetically at them before returning her attention to a group of Crystal Guards, who had evidently been expecting them.
“King Sombra is coming,” she announced to general horror. “Ready the rest of the Guard – quickly!” The Guards present quickly scampered, and ponies who had overheard practically stampeded in their efforts to run to safety.
“Celestia!” Jeremy objected sharply. “What are you doing?!”
Celestia turned to him. “The easiest way to feed him is to rile up emotions about his sudden return. I know it’s not the most pleasant way of going about it, but that was what I came up with. Do you have a better idea?” Celestia demanded.
Jeremy glared at the floor. “No,” he grumbled, reluctantly seeing her logic.
“You need to find him first. Explain what’s going on, so he doesn’t overreact and can feed properly,” she ordered, gesturing a hoof at the snowy wastes. Jeremy looked at the harsh, wintry landscape, feeling a chill in his bones just gazing at the immense amounts of snow and ice.
“I’ll need a suit,” he countered. “I won’t survive that cold dressed like this.”
Cory immediately stripped off his suit jacket, tossing it to Jeremy. “It’s insulating, Boston gets real cold in the winters sometimes,” Cory explained.
“Thanks. We know what direction Sombra’s coming from?” Jeremy asked. Celestia pointed, and he nodded, taking a deep breath. “Chrysalis, you coming?” he asked.
Chrysalis shook her head. “Changelings and cold… don’t mix. Take care of yourself, honey, I’ll see you in a bit,” she answered.
Jeremy nodded, and walked past the barrier separating the balmy Crystal Empire from the arctic tundra beyond, trudging in Sombra’s direction with an obvious reluctance in his step.
What felt like hours later, Jeremy finally spotted him. It wasn’t hard to pick out Sombra upon the wintry tundra, him being black and everything else in the world being white.
“SOMBRA!” Jeremy howled over the wind. “SOMBRA!”
But Sombra couldn’t hear him. Jeremy hopped through the deep snow to get closer, pulling Cory’s suit jacket about himself and shivering as he tried to get within earshot.
“SOMBRA!” he howled as loudly as he could.
He could hear Sombra muttering loudly to himself, and strained his ears to pick up what the shadow king was saying. “…where is it… it has to… I have to… them…” was all he could make out. As he approached, Sombra appeared to be digging through the snow, shoving aside vast quantities with his magic.
“Sombra!” Jeremy called out, more quietly now that he was certain Sombra could hear him.
Unfortunately, Sombra chose that moment to dump a pile of snow on him, seemingly not even noticing as Jeremy spluttered and dug his way out of a freshly created dune of snow and ice.
“Hey!” he shouted indignantly, at last getting Sombra’s attention.
“Jeremy?” Sombra noticed, evidently shocked to see him.
“Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, we traced your steps and figured it out. We can get you a proper meal, it’s fine,” Jeremy explained hurriedly.
“What?” Sombra asked in blank confusion.
“…Well, you… feed on hatred, right?” Jeremy replied, raising an eyebrow at this unexpected reaction.
“Yes, I just learned about that myself, and I already fed in Canterlot. Was that… not obvious…?” Sombra asked.
Jeremy stared at him, by now completely perplexed. “…No…?” he answered, as it was all he could think of to say to this utterly bizarre turn of events. If Sombra wasn’t looking for food, then… “Sombra, if you’re not feeding, what are you doing all the way out here?” he asked suspiciously.
Sombra looked around nervously. “I… can’t tell you,” he denied, glancing back at the pit of freshly excavated tundra.
Jeremy took a seat beside him in the snow, immediately regretting this decision but pressing on anyway. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I’m not gonna judge you,” he reminded the shadow unicorn.
“I… yes, I know, it’s just…” Sombra trailed off, apparently unable or unwilling to explain.
Jeremy waited, but it became clear that Sombra was more anxious to continue searching than to talk to him. “Well… whatever it is you’re looking for… can I help you find it?” he offered.
Sombra looked at him, guilt etched into his expression. “No. I appreciate the offer, but… no. You can’t help,” he dismissed.
Jeremy looked at him sadly. “Well… alright. The crystal ponies are good and riled up for your return, Celestia saw to that, so… if you need a meal, I guess you can just drop by…?” Jeremy finished, wondering what was happening.
“…Sure,” Sombra answered, sounding as though he wasn’t at all intending to take Jeremy up on his offer.
“…Right…” Jeremy mumbled.
There was a pause, in which the harsh winds and falling snow did their best to make up for the awkward silence between the two. Unable to think of anything else to say, Jeremy trudged away into the snow, in the direction of the Crystal Empire once more.
As he stepped across the magical barrier blocking out the wintry cold, Jeremy collapsed on the warm grass, rubbing his frozen arms to restore feeling in them.
“Honey? You okay?” Chrysalis asked, rushing over.
“Frigid, but otherwise alright,” Jeremy reported.
“…Where’s Sombra?” Chrysalis asked, and Jeremy noticed the others watching him, waiting for his response.
“He’s out there… looking for something. It’s not here, he’s not even hungry. He’s just… I don’t even know what he’s doing anymore,” Jeremy sighed.
A pair of changelings brought him a blanket, and he looked at them in surprise. “We’re some of Thorax’s students… greetings, King Jeremy,” one greeted.
“Hello,” Jeremy answered, feeling distinctly awkward as he looked at their black carapaces and suspicious blue compound eyes.
“Don’t look at him like that, he’s nothing like the old King,” Chrysalis snapped. They immediately flinched, and Jeremy shot a warning look at her.
“Hey, hey. They’ve every right to be suspicious.” He returned his gaze to the pair of drones, who were now staring at him with more curiosity than distrust. “I’m not going to hurt you in any way or exile you, okay? You have the right to dislike me for any reason – even no reason at all,” he soothed.
They raised an eyebrow at each other. “The other drones said you were a very strange King… but I don’t think strange even begins to cover it,” one replied.
Jeremy chuckled. “Why, thank you,” he returned with a smile. The smile quickly disappeared, though, as he remembered the mission he had been given. “Sombra… I dunno, do you think there’s anything we can do at this point?” he asked Celestia, who shook her head.
“If he’s searching for something, out there… We can only hope he finds it.”
They led him to the massive, Eiffel-Tower like Crystal Palace, where Shining Armor and Cadance immediately made for the Crystal Heart, which was floating as usual on its stalagmite-shaped pedestal.
“Sire!” A Crystal Guard called, rushing up to Shining Armor. “Have you defeated Sombra yet?”
Shining Armor looked nervously at Jeremy, who helplessly shrugged. “He’s… still out there. We don’t know what he’s doing, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in attacking… at least, not yet,” Shining amended. The group glanced at each other uncomfortably.
“Your orders, then?” the Guard asked, apparently not noticing the mood.
Shining cleared his throat. “Keep the citizens from starting a riot, and keep them safe,” he instructed.
The Crystal Guard saluted. “Yes, sir!” he barked, and sped away, purpose in his step.
Shining sighed, watching him go. “This feels so… wrong,” the Crystal Prince said hollowly. “We’re deliberately spreading hate and fear about someone who we know to be innocent. I mean, it’s what he eats, but… still.”
Jeremy gave a sigh to match Shining Armor’s. “I know what you mean. I can’t really say whether what we’re doing is right, even if it is for a good purpose. What was that old saying – ‘doing the wrong thing for the right reasons?’ It feels like that.”
Cadance took a seat on the floor. “It makes me wonder… what if, back when he was originally King, what if Sombra didn’t send everypony to the mines just because he was bad at leadership, or malevolent? What if it was more of an instinct to make them dislike him, and thus keep him alive?” she wondered.
“It’s a valid theory,” Jeremy agreed. “Of course, to know the answer, we’d have to have more than just one umbrum to ask, and that’s not happening anytime soon – Sombra’s the only one left.” Chrysalis looked as though she wanted to say something more, but at that moment a pair of Crystal Guards galloped up to Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.
“Your Majesties, we have captured King Sombra!” one jubilantly announced, beaming widely.
“C-captured? So quickly?” Celestia queried, shocked. She exchanged a worried look with Jeremy.
“Also, the Royal Parliament of the Crystal Kingdom is holding a trial for him as we speak! We’re finally going to bring that scum to justice!” the second added.
Jeremy’s heart plummeted into his shoes. “We need to go,” he declared to the group at large.
“Agreed, let us move!” Luna commanded.
They raced towards the courtroom, Cadance in the lead as she fairly barreled over ponies in the way. Those ponies that were not in the way were watching them, evil grins on their faces as they conversed in hushed whispers about the fate of their hated ex-king.
What’s happening? Jeremy wondered, looking at them.
I think Celestia went a little too far in getting them to feel hate for him, Chrysalis answered, carefully holding her breath even as she ran.
You okay? Jeremy asked, noticing this.
All this hatred… it tastes so disgusting, I can barely tolerate it, she explained, flicking an ear in annoyance.
Right… Jeremy trailed off, unsure of what else to say. This entire morning had been such a wild ride…
The group of humans, ponies and changelings arrived at the courtroom to find Sombra in a cage, ponies nearby jeering and throwing things at him. The cage was lined with a familiar, blue-purple stone… Runestone, Jeremy remembered. Somehow, Celestia’s invention had spread here as well.
“Sombra!” Jeremy called, and Sombra looked over hopefully.
“Jeremy! I found it just before I got captured!” he shouted out, barely audible over the cacophony.
“Found what?!” Jeremy called back.
Whatever Sombra answered, it was cut off as a blast of horns sounded. Sombra looked truly afraid at this, and a pair of Royal Guards hoisted the cage onto their backs and began carrying it into the courtroom.
“Let the trial begin!” one Guard hollered, and the crowd roared their approval, stomping and shouting riotously as Sombra disappeared into the gigantic courtroom doors.
“We have to follow him,” Jeremy urgently claimed.
“On it,” Cadance answered, spreading her wings and quickly flying through the doors, Shining Armor galloping close behind.
“The rest of us will have to sit in the stands,” Celestia explained, leading the remainder of the group towards the doors.
“Aren’t you royalty?” Jeremy inquired incredulously.
“Not in this part of Equestria, no. We are visiting royalty, and are treated as guests of the court,” Luna explained. Jeremy grumbled inaudibly, but allowed himself to be led into the expansive courtroom.
The first thing he noticed was how overboard they had gone with Sombra’s security. Runestones of every size and type littered the area around his cage, looking as though they had been piled there in a hurry. The cage was padlocked, and underneath the runestone coating looked to be made of metal, which was an unusual touch in a land full of crystals. Chains of every sort had been tied around the cage bars, nearly obscuring Sombra from view. Jeremy spared a glance at Celestia, to find her already looking at him, a clearly guilty expression on her face.
“I know, I’m sorry,” she mouthed at him over the commotion. The noise outside was still audible, but what was far louder was the more immediate presence of what appeared to be dozens of Crystal Guards, each with the same furious expression at the cage in the center of the courtroom.
If nothing else, he’s getting quite the feast from this, Chrysalis remarked.
Let’s just hope this meal isn’t his last. I don’t like the looks on these Guards’ faces, Jeremy returned.
“Order! Order in the Court!” a judge shouted, rapping her gavel against the courtroom table. The rabble slowly subsided, Guards eagerly taking their seat as they waited for the trial to begin.
“Can’t we stop this?” Jeremy whispered frantically to Celestia.
“Cadance might, but even she has to follow the rules of the court. This may get… unpleasant,” Celestia whispered back.
“All rise,” the court bailiff intoned, her powder-blue mane swishing as she adjusted a brooch on her gray, crystalline coat. “The High Court of the Crystal Kingdom is now in session, Judge Civil Tone presiding. You may be seated,” she concluded, and everyone took their seats once again.
Jeremy’s mouth was dry, his nervous expression flicking around the room to take notice of exit routes and other possible rescuing strategies. The others weren’t faring much better, judging from their expressions, and Celestia kept looking around as though she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Calling the case of Sombra versus the State. Are both sides ready?” Civil Tone asked tensely.
“Ready for the prosecution, your Honor,” a well-dressed guard mare immediately answered, practically brimming with excitement. Silence followed her words.
“And the defense?” Civil Tongue asked after a moment, raising an eyebrow at Sombra. Sombra refused to meet her eyes, muttering something under his breath.
“No defense? That is a violation of the civil code, and you will be held in contempt of court if a defense is not found,” Civil Tongue announced disdainfully. A moment of silence more, as Sombra frantically looked around, eyes alighting only on more and more crystal ponies, who only glared stonily back.
Finally, as Civil Tongue was about to open her mouth once more, Princess Cadance leapt out of the stands, coming to stand beside Sombra. “Ready for the defense, your Honor!”
To say this left everyone flabbergasted was an understatement. Even to say that it was the single most shocking thing they would ever witness in their entire lives failed to capture the scope of the court’s reaction to Cadance’s proclamation. There were immediate shouts of dismay, even denial, among the Guards, and the stands fared little better.
Even Judge Civil Tongue’s jaw dropped for a moment, but she quickly collected herself, banging her gavel loudly to silence the cacophony. “Order! Order in the Court!” she yelled as loudly as she could, and the crowd slowly quieted. “Allow me to clarify. You, Princess Mi Amore de Cadenza, are hereby enlisting yourself as the defendant for King Sombra?” Civil Tongue asked, only a hint of incredulity in her tone.
Cadance nodded firmly. “Under Crystal Kingdom law, it is my unalienable right as Princess to defend any citizen of the Kingdom from any offense,” she asserted.
“Is Sombra a citizen of the Kingdom?” Civil Tongue asked, more curiosity than stubbornness in her tone.
“I am,” Sombra spoke up for the first time. “I was the son of a court noble. ‘Armor Flak,’ look him up, he should be in the historical records somewhere.”
Civil Tongue raised an eyebrow. “The same historical records you had burned?” she reminded him, and Sombra paled.
Unfortunate, Jeremy mentally commented.
Civil Tongue sighed. “Regardless, no evidence exists to contradict your being a citizen of the Crystal Kingdom, and therefore the case will proceed. Will the clerk please swear in the jury?” The clerk, a stallion in a sharp (and crystalline) business suit, proceeded to do so, and Jeremy noted with rising anger that the jury was composed entirely of Crystal Guards.
How’s that for a random sampling? he complained.
Unfortunate, Chrysalis returned, frowning at this.
With that done, Civil Tongue nodded. “Would the prosecution and defense make their opening statements?”
The prosecution stood. “Your Honor, ladies and gentlecolts, the defendant stands before us charged with the crimes of high treason, conspiracy against a Princess, assassination of said Princess, unlawful usurpation of the throne, tyranny of the highest caliber, demagoguery, slavery, torture, and much more. The evidence I will present to you will prove that the defendant is guilty as charged,” she announced, and sat back down.
“Very well. And the defense?” Civil Tongue continued, and this time it was Cadance’s turn to stand.
“Your Honor, I would argue that at least half the charges levied against my client deserve a full understanding of the facts, rather than a biased interpretation. My client is as much a victim as a villain, and deserves clemency on those matters he had little control in.”
Civil Tongue was evidently interested, but most of the jury and stands scoffed at this. “I will have the defense go first,” she decided, and Cadance nervously cleared her throat.
“Sombra is not a villain by choice, nor is he, as many have suspected and written, a unicorn. He is an umbrum, a species of pony closely related to the unicorn but specializing only in shadow magic.”
Here she was interrupted by the very impatient-looking prosecutor. “Your Honor, is this necessary?” she complained.
“For the sake of argument, we will assume it is,” Civil Tongue curtly admonished her, then turned back to Cadance. “Please continue.”
Cadance nodded. “Right. Yes. As I was saying, Sombra is an umbrum, and umbra do not have the same diet as ponies. They are more akin to changelings and Windigo in that they consume emotions as a form of magical sustenance. But where Windigo prey on fear, and changelings love, umbra consume hatred.” Civil Tongue raised an eyebrow, and Cadance continued.
“Furthermore, as anyone here can confirm, there are no others like Sombra. He is the last of his kind, and had no idea he was an umbrum until very recently.”
Chrysalis made a slightly disparaging sound, and Jeremy looked at her curiously. She said nothing more, however, and he returned his attention to the trial.
“In addition, Sombra has been referred to incorrectly as a unicorn multiple times, both during his reign, to his face, and thereafter. Therefore, I think we can safely conclude that Sombra did not know he was an umbrum at the time of his reign, and also thought he was a unicorn. He was also, as many here can note, widely disliked and hated during his reign,” Cadance announced.
“That is a fair conclusion to make, Princess Cadance. But what does it mean with regards to his crimes?” Civil Tongue asked.
“My point is that my client Sombra did not commit these crimes to be cruel in and of itself, nor for any form of personal gain. He did so for sustenance – to ensure a steady supply of food for himself. Therefore, this may not have been the results of intentional decisions on his part, but rather instinct,” Cadance asserted.
Not bad, Jeremy noted. She's only working off a paragraph of information and maybe half an hour of thinking about it, and that was a solid legal defense.
Though, half her points aren’t correct… Chrysalis noted. Sombra also looked as though he wanted to disagree, but he kept his mouth firmly shut.
“Does the prosecution have any response to this argument?” Civil Tongue asked.
“Your Honor, even if Sombra did commit these crimes as a source of food, their criminal nature remains. If an Ursa Minor rampages through a city, it is still our duty to prevent it from doing so again. Besides, if we are speaking of biological necessity, I would argue that there is perhaps a reason why there is only one umbrum left,” the prosecuting mare smugly retorted.
Sombra was instantly incensed, purple smoke beginning to waft from his eyes, but Jeremy caught his eyes and shook his head. Reluctantly, Sombra managed to calm himself.
“Does the defense have a response?” Civil Tongue asked.
“Yes, your Honor,” Cadance replied, frowning in thought. “I would like to argue that despite the criminal nature of these acts, the fact that Sombra was required to do them for survival deserves merit in the consideration of his punishment. Though we might dissuade an Ursa Major from rampaging, we would not lock it up for eternity just for doing what it was born to do. I would also like to add that Sombra indeed already has been punished once, having spent the better part of two years locked in Tartarus.”
The prosecuting mare scoffed. “Two years is nothing – a millennium would be better suited to crimes of this magnitude.”
Civil Tongue rapped her gavel sharply. “Do not speak out of order, prosecution,” she warned.
“I apologize, your Honor,” the prosecuting mare immediately replied.
“Are there any further statements to make?” Civil Tongue asked the court at large. When no reply greeted her, she rapped her gavel once more. “Very well. We will now ask the jury for their verdict,” she announced. There was a moment of hushed deliberation among the members of the jury, a few pointed glares sent Sombra's way as the Crystal Guards briefly debated. Finally, after a period of what seemed like minutes, the Guard at the front leftmost position turned around.
“We are ready to deliver the verdict,” he announced. Civil Tongue nodded at him. “We, the jury, find the defendant… guilty of all charges,” the Guard announced, a sadistic grin adorning his face.
Pandemonium broke out amongst the stands, as the crowd alternately rioted with glee and dismay at the verdict. It seemed that though Cadance’s words had had some effect on the general mood, it was not quite enough, and those ponies that had attended were now bitterly split between the two arguments. The cacophony grew louder and louder, unhindered by Civil Tongue’s attempts to restore order, and some of the Guards began to press in towards Sombra.
What do we do? Chrysalis asked Jeremy.
Get to Sombra, make sure he’s safe. Then… I don’t know, Jeremy admitted, already pushing past ponies himself.
They found Sombra surrounded by a veritable onslaught of onlookers, hurling insults at him.
“Jeremy!” Sombra called out.
“Sombra! Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here!” Jeremy attempted to reassure him.
To his surprise, Sombra ignored this. “Forget that! I couldn’t tell you before! I found the entrance! The entrance to the prison!” he shouted, managing to quiet everyone else.
There was a moment of silence.
“…What prison?” Civil Tongue asked.
“The prison the umbra were held in. I was trying to find my people,” Sombra answered sadly.
“Your people are dead! There aren’t any umbra left!” a Guard jeered.
“Actually, if I may interject,” Queen Chrysalis proclaimed icily, holding up the book that had started the whole mess. “Judge Civil Tongue, if you’d kindly turn to page forty-seven and read aloud?”
Civil Tongue took the book in her magic, staring at it in confusion, and opened it to page forty-seven. “Umbra,” she read. She muttered to herself for a while, quickly speedreading to page forty-eight. She paled, and read the page again.
“What’s it say?” one of the ponies in the stands called out.
“It says that umbra are biologically immortal. They do not age past maturity. It also says that they are all imprisoned somewhere, waiting to be freed,” Civil Tongue stammered.
“…So? They’re locked up. Unless you managed to open the prison,” the prosecuting mare retorted, looking at Sombra.
He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to gather enough hatred for years to open that prison and free my people. I know, umbra are a plague to this world. But… I am the last umbrum left. Do I not have a duty to my kind?” he asked the crowd at large. Silence greeted him.
Finally, Shining Armor stepped forward. “You… were trying to free your people? The whole time?” he asked.
Sombra nodded. “It was what my dad had always taught me. That the umbra were a noble race, who didn’t deserve their plight. Of course, we are anything but noble,” Sombra muttered to himself. "He told me I'd need to make everyone hate me in order to get them out, and that the best way to do so was to become a high-ranking, snobbish, racist noble. I thought I'd do him one better by becoming a tyrannical king, passing hurtful laws that made no sense and forcing crystal ponies into slavery to mine crystals that we already had far too many of," Sombra revealed. There was another moment of shocked silence as the crystal ponies tried to process this.
“So you found the entrance to the prison, and tried to unlock it. Then what?” Jeremy asked.
“I ran out,” Sombra answered simply.
“Of what?” Jeremy wondered.
“Hatred. Despite twenty years’ worth of hatred from the populace, in addition to the hate I have received since my return, it was still not enough to break the lock. I… I am sorry. I won’t try it again,” Sombra sighed, laying down in his cage.
“Sombra?” Jeremy asked quietly.
“Leave me be, Element of Love,” Sombra snarled. “I cannot enjoy the world you have created, and neither will my people.” Jeremy reeled back, a stricken expression on his face as though he’d been punched in the gut.
“Sombra…” Chrysalis began, but Sombra glared furiously at her.
“And you, changeling! Your kind was responsible for our imprisonment! Or did your all-seeing hive mind forget to tell you that, bug?” he growled.
“W…wha…?” Chrysalis stammered, shocked.
“He’s right. Star Swirl’s evidence points to a massive war between umbra and changelings, taking place during and just after Discord’s reign,” Civil Tongue noted, pointing to page 49 of Star Swirl's book. “To quote, ‘The changelings, fueled by determination and led by Queen Diligita, won the war and sealed the umbra underground, never to see the light of day again.’”
Now it was Chrysalis’ turn to look as though she’d been punched. “But… I didn’t…” she weakly protested.
“All of you are the monsters! You imprisoned and never bothered to free my entire race, you preach ‘acceptance of differences’ and ‘tolerance’ and yet you hold a trial for me on account of being different?!” Sombra howled, rage and grief warring behind his eyes. “Then, as if that wasn’t enough, you all try to get rid of my only source of food by being all nice and kind! You’re murderers, the lot of you! No, not even murderers…” Sombra paused. “You’re committing genocide.”
Instantly, Jeremy’s vision flashed red. Scenes he didn’t understand began playing in his mind. Sombra, bloodied and beaten. Chrysalis, gashes of green marring her normally smooth black exoskeleton. Nightmare Moon, wings torn and bleeding blue magic even as her eyes glowed with a stubborn, heroic light. Tirek, stubborn to the last, still twitching and clenching as though he were trying to get up. Throughout it all, as they lay on the floor, that word repeated in his head, like an unceasing mantra, as the manic, unceasing laughter of a familiar voice echoed in his head. Genocide… The voice whispered, and everything went black.
Jeremy staggered back, waking from the nightmare as suddenly and unexpectedly as he had entered it. He looked around, wondering how long he’d been out, only to find he was in the exact same place. What had seemed like a few minutes at least had actually barely been a second. Some small part of him wondered what was happening to him, but it was quickly drowned out as he noticed that the mood had abruptly shifted. Everyone else was staring at the door, expressions of openmouthed shock on their faces. He turned to see what this was about, and stared as well as the diminutive Flurry Heart wandered into the room.
“Flurry? Oh, baby, I’m so sorry!” Cadance called out as soon as she caught sight of her. “I completely forgot about playtime – don’t worry, mama’s right here!”
Flurry emitted a pleased coo, her chubby legs stumbling over themselves as she began making her way over to her mama. However, because Sombra’s cage was in between the two of them, Flurry found herself blocked by a series of metal bars.
“Ma?” she called out, looking around to try and find a way through the bars.
“Go around, foal,” Sombra groaned in exasperation, still laying down in his cage.
His words did not seem to register with Flurry Heart, who was now attempting to push through a bar and into Sombra’s cage, presumably with the intent of going through the other side.
“I said go around!” Sombra growled, eyes constricting as he began to assume his shadowy, larger form.
Flurry shrank back, tearing up in fright. “W…WAAAAAAAA!” she wailed, falling back on her rump and bawling. Cadance flew over and scooped her up in a flash of her pink wings, and over Flurry’s crying, she approached Sombra.
Thwack!
Cadance had punched Sombra through the bars. “How dare you frighten my daughter like that, you… you… monster!” Cadance hissed, glaring at Sombra, who had stumbled back in shock. She was about to say something else, but at that moment the ground began to rumble.
“Oh, thank goodness, a convenient earthquake,” Jeremy could hear Sam muttering in the background.
“What’s happening now?” Luna called out, trying to find her footing as the ground violently shook.
Just then, a Guard ran into the courtroom, tearing up the carpet in his haste. “Captain Shining Armor, sir!” he shouted.
“What is it, Guard?” Shining asked, half exasperated and half terrified.
“There’s… some kind of dark cloud coming from the Palace!” the Guard announced, gesturing outside.
“The umbra,” Sombra whispered. There was a moment of silence as everyone digested this fact.
And, for the third time that day, pandemonium reigned in the court. But this was no mere political difference, or even the cavalcade of one-sided insults that had greeted Sombra at his arrival. No, this was an all-out stampede. Ponies trampled one another to flee the courtroom, screaming in panic as they pushed chairs, benches, and even broke down doors to escape the oncoming terror of a literal army of umbra. Shining Armor was screaming orders left and right, to little effect. Before the ponies could reach the outer doors of the courtroom, they were suddenly barricaded inside, the doors slamming shut and not budging no matter how many ponies attempted to push them.
Freedom, a deep and ancient voice spoke. Freedom!
A pure black cloud of smoke poured into the center of the courtroom, and began splitting apart, individual ponies materializing from the shadows. The umbra were gray, with black, smoky manes, just like Sombra. Their horns were slightly curved, though they lacked Sombra’s red glow and green eyes. They hissed menacingly at the ponies surrounding them, who couldn’t help but feel themselves to be the ones surrounded.
Finally, a significantly bigger portion of the smoke that surrounded them condensed into a taller umbrum, carrying a crown similar to Sombra’s own, though this was composed of what appeared to be glossy, black obsidian rather than glimmering steel. “After one thousand years, we have returned,” he spoke. “The umbra are free to pledge the world into shadow and hatred once more!”
Shining Armor vaulted over the others, assuming a battle stance as he lowered his horn. “Not if we stop you!” he countered.
The larger umbrum looked at him disinterestedly. “Out of my way, whelp,” he growled, and Shining was blasted out of the way with a bolt of shadow magic. He hit the wall with an echoing crack and slid to the floor, his horn coated entirely with black crystal.
“Shiny!” Cadance shrieked, flying over, and Flurry Heart simply looked dumbstruck as she beheld her father defeated.
“Now, then. You are powerless to stop us. Even alicorns cannot best our might. Bow, my new subjects. Bow to Chief Tenebris!” the larger umbrum demanded.
“HEY!” Jeremy shouted, stepping forward himself.
Tenebris regarded him coolly, noticing his heart-shaped necklace glowing with pink magic. “Another Element of Love,” he noted. “How fitting, that you two should witness your own destruction.”
Jeremy growled. “And why do you have to? Couldn’t you just eradicate what remains of this world’s hatred instead of creating more?”
Tenebris snorted. “Your lack of foresight is almost as astonishing as your arrogance. Were we to do so, we would surely go extinct.”
Jeremy smiled. “What if there was a way you wouldn’t go extinct?” he hinted.
“Jeremy, what are you doing?” Sam hissed at him.
“Just work with me,” Jeremy whispered back.
“Oi! Stuff a sack in it, ya wannabe trickster!” an umbrum called out. Jeremy was about to protest this, but Sombra had gotten up, his expression disbelieving.
“…Dad?” he asked.
The umbrum who had spoken turned his head to glare at Sombra. “Ah wasn’t talkin’ ta ye, ya little bleedin’-heart prissy! Shut it, a’fore I come over there and shut it for ye!”
Sombra immediately fell silent, terrified, and Armor Flak returned his attention to Chief Tenebris. “Like ah was sayin’, Chief, this’n’s tryin’ ta trick ye inta’ starvin’ us!”
Tenebris raised his eyebrow. “A fact I had reached without your... interestingly accented input, Armor Flak. No sane being would offer an umbrum such a proposition. We are beings of destruction and despair, not lowlife bottomfeeders who search for the dregs of a dying emotion. We were always meant to rule,” Tenebris proclaimed.
“You are not ‘beings of destruction and despair’!” Jeremy argued.
“Oh, ye? Name one good thing an umbrum created! Name one ‘wholesome’ and ‘beautiful’ thing we’re responsible for in this entire bloody world!” Armor shot back.
Jeremy thought hard. “Well… what about Sombra?” he asked.
“Tha’ little disappointment?” Armor Flak asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at the umbrum in question. “Wha’ bout him? ‘E hasn’t done anyone any favors. I train him ta’ break us out of our prison, and it takes him a thousand bloody years to even get close! I had to finish the job meself usin’ the hatred ye were tossin’ at him durin’ yer lame excuse for a trial!” Armor taunted, and the mare who had been prosecuting Sombra paled.
“Okay, but…” Jeremy tried, but was interrupted by Armor Flak.
“Ain’t no buts about it, kid! There ain’t a single productive bone in that umbrum’s body! Ah should know, ah raised him! Probably can’t even-“
“HE WROTE A SONG!” Jeremy thundered.
“…Come again?” Armor replied, lost, and Jeremy glanced away, embarrassed by his outburst.
“He wrote a song, and played it for me a… a long time ago. And it was beautiful. And he wrote it, all by himself!” Jeremy declared.
“A song?” Tenebris wondered, a hint of curiosity permeating his deep voice. “What is a song?”
Sombra cleared his throat. “It’s… er… a collection… of sounds. That together… sound pleasing.”
Tenebris raised an eyebrow. “An umbrum, creating something ‘pleasing’… Hm. Can you reproduce this ‘song’?”
Sombra glumly looked away. “I don’t have the instrument for it…” he reluctantly admitted.
“Wait!” Cadance called out, levitating something in her grasp. “Is this it?” Her magic deposited it in front of Sombra and Jeremy, and together they beheld Sombra’s instrument.
It had aged, that much was certain. A thousand years had not been kind to the casing, though the strings had been restored and the keys re-machined.
“It’s the same one,” Jeremy murmured, looking at it almost reverently.
“Jeremy… open the cage,” Sombra asked. Where this might normally have been a demand, Jeremy sensed a faint, plaintive note in Sombra’s voice – almost as if he, too, were reliving that memory.
He obediently crossed to the runestone-covered cage, finding curiously that the chains had no lock and easily opening it. Sombra stepped out onto the courtroom floor uncertainly, approaching his instrument as though it were a predator that might bite him.
“Well?” Tenebris demanded, and Armor Flak snorted.
“Ye, this’ll go well,” he loudly taunted. “Tha’ ‘music’ o’ yers is nuthin’ more than wishy-washy-“ but he was quelled by a glare from Tenebris.
“You, Armor Flak, will keep silent. I command absolute silence, so that I may better hear this ‘music’,” Tenebris announced.
Shakily, Sombra sat down, nearly trembling with fear. “Jeremy, I don’t think I can do this,” he hoarsely whispered, glancing around. Ponies and umbra alike gazed back at him, expressions ranging from curiosity to disgust.
“It’s okay, Sombra. It’ll be fine. Pretend… pretend you’re just playing to me. Just like old times,” Jeremy murmured comfortingly, taking a seat directly in front of him to block his view of the crowd.
Sombra swallowed. “Okay…” he whispered.
And Sombra began to play.
The piano keys sounded first, bright and cheerful, and were quickly accompanied by a more somber tune on the strings, giving the sound an almost surreal quality. The music drifted across the ruined courtyard, hauntingly beautiful and captivating the audience so thoroughly that you could have slapped an umbrum in the face and they wouldn’t have responded. As Sombra played, he too became lost in the melody, a slight smile coming to his face as his magic found the strings with a familiarity that could only be found between a composer and his melody.
Jeremy noted that they had reached the end of the song that Sombra had played for him some time ago, yet Sombra played on. Evidently, he had not given up on the musical piece, despite everything that had happened in the interim. Even Armor Flak could not escape the unrelenting notes, and he too was spellbound, slack-jawed and staring at Sombra.
Finally, the last few notes sounded out, fading into the air with an awful finality. For a moment, nobody knew what to say. In that moment, it felt that any sound emitted by one’s vocal chords would simply ruin the moment.
Tenebris was the first to break the silence.
“Th… that…” he stammered, evidently at a loss for words.
“Oh my Harmony…” Luna murmured, tears openly streaming down her face.
“That… you… that was…” Shining Armor stuttered.
“What? Was it good? I knew I should’ve gone for a better ending,” Sombra muttered.
“No, it was perfect as it was,” Jeremy complimented, smiling.
“You’re the Mystery Composer,” Cadance stated, with the air of someone who was trying to come to terms with what they had just learned. Murmurs of shock ran through the crowd, and Sombra turned to her.
“I’m sorry… I’m a what?” Sombra asked, confused.
Cadance’s magic lit up, and a sheaf of papers were teleported in. Jeremy and Sombra both glanced at them in shock – the familiar paper was yellowed and crinkled, but preserved perfectly in a magical stasis bubble.
“My notes…” Sombra noted.
“We discovered these outside the stasis field, just twenty years after the Crystal Empire was rediscovered. They’re the oldest musical notes in existence – indeed, most researchers suspect that these are the first musical notes ever written. Our entire system of sheet music was redefined based on this notation. And the author only ever signed with their initials,” Cadance explained, pointing to a hastily scrawled “S.F.” in one corner.
Sombra’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “That’s me… Sombra Flak.”
Cadance nodded. “You… you invented music. Not just that, your piece became the most well-known score of music in history. The ‘First Song’, written by the ‘Mystery Composer’. Researchers have spent lifetimes trying to pin down the pony who wrote it… because they gave us so much. They gave us music, songs, notation, rhythm… things that we could not live without.” And, to Sombra’s shock, Princess Cadance bowed. To his open astonishment, every single pony in attendance followed suit, genuflecting as much as they could. And all around, they were singing. The first four notes of his song, in perfect unison, was being sung by everypony in the Crystal Kingdom.
They glanced back at Tenebris, and to everyone’s shock, he was crying. Tears slowly dripped off of his chin, and he glanced down in confusion.
“How… how did you…” Tenebris tried again to speak, his eyes clenching shut to try and stem the flow of emotion.
Jeremy stepped forward. “You see? Umbra don’t have to be the scourge of the earth. You can help, instead of hurt, create instead of destroy,” Jeremy whispered.
Tenebris stared at him as though seeing him for the first time. “…If you were anyone else, Element of Love, I would have destroyed you in an instant. But you have done something I thought impossible. You have made a friend of one of my kind. You have inspired him to be more than what we were made to be. And for that… I shall listen,” Chief Tenebris decided.
Jeremy smiled, and bowed to the umbrum chief, putting as much heart as he could into it. “Thank you. So… my idea is…” he walked forward, whispering into Tenebris’ ear. Tenebris’ expression shifted, first to curiosity, then to incredulity… and finally to an eager smile.
“That just may work…” he agreed.
Jeremy nodded. “And I know just the mare to do it,” he noted. He beckoned for Celestia to come join them. She did so, curiously and fearfully glancing up at Tenebris.
“Can you open a portal to Earth for us?” Jeremy asked.
“Why… Oh, Jeremy, you can’t be serious,” Celestia realized.
Jeremy nodded insistently. “I’m very serious. Think about it! They’d be doing the entire world a service by draining our hatred. They’d be heroes.”
Celestia sighed. “I… very well. If you trust them to their word, then I cannot question your judgment.” She lit her horn, and a swirling yellow wormhole opened before them. Times Square was visible, and Jeremy looked on with just a hint of homesickness as humans milled thousands of feet beneath them, apparently not noticing the hole in reality so far above their heads.
“Jeremy, you claim you are of the race of humans. But I see a crown of changeling make upon your head… Who are you? What are you?” Tenebris wondered.
Jeremy smiled. “I’m the King of the Hive… and I’m here to finally make things right.”
Tenebris gazed at him curiously for a moment more, then smiled back, a genuine smile. “Before we depart, let us leave you with one last gift,” he announced, and lit his horn. A black-purple, smoky substance suddenly began emitting from the assorted ponies’ horns and bodies, concentrating at Tenebris’ own horn. “Your irrational, compulsive hatreds have been erased. Live the rest of your lives with love and prosperity, Crystal Ponies. May we meet again, on a better day,” Tenebris finished. That done, he approached Sombra, who regarded him with some fear. “Sombra, I hereby instate you as Lord and Advisor to all umbra… replacing the position of your erstwhile father,” the umbrum chief declared.
“M-me?” Sombra asked, sounding as though he hardly dared believe it.
“Wha – ya can’t do that!” Armor objected. Tenebris looked over at him, and Armor Flak immediately quailed under the intensity of his gaze. “Ah mean… ya can… but… uh…” Armor Flak trailed off.
“Go,” Tenebris commanded, pointing at the portal, and Armor Flak fled the scene. “Do not worry, Jeremy. I shall keep him in line. Sombra… will you come with us? There is so much I can teach you of our ways,” Tenebris offered. Everyone present knew that it wasn’t so much a request as it was a demand. And yet, Sombra bowed low.
“My chief… I thank you deeply for the offer. But… I must decline. As much as I have to learn of umbrum culture… I would like to complete my studies of friendship and love first.”
Tenebris appeared taken aback by the refusal, but then grinned. “Finally, an umbrum with a spine… oh, I think I shall enjoy having you as an advisor. Very well, Sombra Flak. Until we meet again.” With that, Tenebris departed through the portal, the rest of the umbra quickly following. Jeremy and Celestia watched them go, the latter lighting her horn again and closing the wormhole once the last trace of inky smoke had vanished.
“I hope they’ll be alright. There’s no magic in our world…” Jeremy trailed off.
“They’ll be fine,” Celestia reassured him, smiling slightly.
Princess Cadance approached Sombra tentatively. “Sombra… I have one last question, and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to,” she began.
“Go ahead,” Sombra politely replied.
“You could have had everything you wanted over there – power, fame, an endless supply of food. Why… did you stay?” Cadance asked.
Sombra looked at Jeremy, who smiled back – both of them knew the answer already.
“Some things… are worth staying for,” Sombra finally answered.